I’m currently studying Fashion Buying at university, and thought i would share 10 things I’ve learnt about studying a fashion business course so far. Fashion is always so misunderstood as something that is purley design, and the more business side of it is rarely spoken about. So, I thought i would highlight the side of fashion people don’t always see and to show any of you that are thinkng about a career in fashion, another great way to be a part of the fashion industry.

Being a Fashion Buyer is a big job– Until you start studying fashion buying i don’t think you really have any idea how big of a job it actually is, I didnt even realise and I chose to study it. It might seem like you just get a design, buy fabric, go on insirational trips and get the product made; but there is so much time, effort, dedication and managing to do to create one range for a store.

It really helps to have a background in business- I studied Economics with business at A-Level and I honestly couldn’t recommend enough to have some form of experience in business before you study a fashion buying course. So many of the terms and ideas that come up in my lecture’s i’ve heard about before and learnt, so it makes it so much easier for me to apply them to fashion and retail. It also helps you with ideas about profit margins, marketing, how businesses grow and so much fundamental knowledge you can use for the course.

You need to have a brain to be a fashion buyer– This isn’t something i didnt already know before starting the course, however it’s something so many people think is true. When you say you study fashion so many people think it’s an easy route to uni and that you don’t really have a brain, however it’s the complete opposite. You would’nt exist in the industry without a smart business brain, that knows what it’s doing and has a real drive to succeed.

The assignments are so diverse– This might just be for my course, but every single one of my assignments are so different. I do sketch books, essays, little phase tests, illustrator and photo shop assignments, reports and even a blog to create in the first year. Not only is this so interesting to get your teeth into, but is also so good to learn vital skills for the industry and for my job in the future.

I would recommend it to anyone who wants a different route into fashion– I always wanted to work in fashion, but knew fashion design was never really a route for me. So, finding out there was some amazing fashion business courses in the country that I could do instead of fashion design was great for me, and i would honestly recommned it to anyone. It’s so interesting, relevant and perfect for any fashion lover.